Ink-guard for typists&#39; fingers.



J. A. GAVIN INK GUARD FOR TYPlSTS FINGERS} APPLICATION men JUNE 16. 1916.

1,235,199. Patented July '31, 1917.

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WITNESSES I I Jfl'awzz drawings, I show a thum and finger guard JOSEPH A. GAVIN, 0E BROOKLYN, NEW YC DBK,

mx-euann ron TYPISTS rmdnns.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 16, 1916. Serial No. 103,975.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. GAVIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Ink-Guard for Typists Fingers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to appliances for typists or typewriter operators and has particular reference to means for protecting typists fingers from ink stains during the operation of changing the ink ribbons.

Among the objects of the invention, therefore, is to provide a simple and easily manipulated means whereby the typist is relieved from the objectionable smudge or smear of the fingers when manipulating the ribbon, and secondly, is relieved from the necessity of washing her hands after the operation is'completed. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard means of the character stated of such simple and cheap nature as to be given with the purchase of eachnew ribbon and carried in the same container, so that the operator will always have the guard at the time and place required, and which guard will naturally be discarded after it has been used.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrange ment and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herewith, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had tov the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view indicating the manner of applyingthe guard to the thumb and finger, one of these guards being provided for each hand;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of one of the guards indicating the manner of construction, one end being completed and the other being only partially completed;

Fig. 3 is a front or inside elevation of the same; and

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the stiffening rib detached from the guard.

Referring now more 'articularly to t ,-.e

Patented July 31, 1917 comprising a single piece of very fine high grade Japanese tissue paper or its equivalent, the material being of a very thin rela tively tough texture, and hence very pliable and of a nature not to interfere materially vith the operators sense of feeling or touch. As indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, the guard members 10 and 11 for both the thumb and finger 0f the same hand are formed from the same piece of material and are connected by a web 12, which serves several important advantages. First of all, it serves to connect the two parts, so that they are both held to gether during the manufacture and manipulation up to the time of actual use, so that the operator in picking up one of the guard members will surely get the other also. Secondly, the web 12 serves to assist in drawing on the guard members for use, and thirdly, as indicated in Fig. 1, said web assists in protecting the web or palm of the hand between the thumb and first finger from contact with the inky ribbon, although the principal merit of the device lies in the protection of the tips of the fingers.

The device just referred to and cut from a single piece of paper or its equivalent, is formed in the following manner: The guard members 10 and 11 obviously are made wider.

than the web 1 2 and the side edges of each .guard member are overlapped, as indicated at 18, at the back of the thumb or finger, whereby a single smooth ply ,of the material lies between the finger and the work. The joint at the back of the finger may be sealed in any suitable manner including a small patch of paper, or the like, 14 pasted over the overlapping edges. The tip ends are twisted as shown at 15 and the extreme ends after the twisting is done are folded back upon the outside, as indicated at 16 where they are asted upon the seam or joint portion of t e member. This provides a very simple and strong manner of completing the ti cliin ering the face or palm portions.

" According to the nature of the material used, it may be desirable to employ additional means to secure the parts of the guard upon the thumb and finger while in use. I employ for this purpose an elastic band 17, the same passing around each guard member and held in place by and beneath the patch 14.

At 18, I indicate a rib member having open circular ends 19 lying over or. around ortions of the device, still without en-' the faces of the guard members. This rib member may be made of sheet celluloid or material of this character that has some elasticity tending to straighten itself, and in the manipulation of certain makes of ribbons, I find this rib member of advantage in the use of the same as a pair of nippers or pliers for grasping the ends of the ribbon or the like, the tips of the ring members 19 being used in connection With each other for this purpose. The delicacy of touch, however, of the operators fingers is still maintained through the openings in the centers of the circles, as indicated at 20, Fig. 3.

At one end of the rib member 18 I provide a removable tab 21 Which may be fitted with a pin 22 to assist in threading the ribbon through the machine, thereby 0bviating the necessity for using a pencil or a separate tool for this purpose as is some times necessary according to the type of machine. The end of the ribbon obviously may be hooked upon the pin and by this means may be drawn through as required. After the ribbon is thus threaded, the pin point 22 may be bent down out of the Way or the tab 21 may be broken OE and discarded.

I claim: 1. In an ink guard of the nature set forth, the combination of a. pair of connected guard members for the thumb and finger of either hand formed of a single piece of thin light and cheap material, said members carrying selfadjusting means to hold the same in place in use.

2. The herein described ink guard for fingers, the same comprising a single piece of fine high grade tissue paper, each guard member being formed with a seam or joint along the outside and having the tip portion thereof twisted and folded back with the extreme tip ends gummed to the Seam or joint portion adjacent thereto.

3. The herein described ink guard for typists fingers comprising a connected guard device for a thumb and a finger of either hand and light rubber elastics carried by both the thumb and finger portions to secure the same in place in use, said elastics being in contact throughout their circumference with said portions and thus kept out of contact with the flesh.

4. The herein described ink guard comprising a connected member providing a guard for both the thumb and the finger of either hand, an elastic rib connected to the guard and extending along from the tip of one finger portion to the other, said rib being provided at its ends with portions having central openings through which the delicacy of touch of the fingers may be maintained.

5. The herein described means for manipulating ink ribbons, the same comprising a flexible rib device having an open ring .portion at each end, a light fine Web material spanning the open portion of each ring, and means cooperating With the end portions of the rib to secure the same to the thumb and finger respectively.

6. The herein described means for manipulating ink ribbons, the same comprising a rib device, apin point connected to one end of the rib, and elastic means for securing the end portions of the rib to the thumb and finger.

JOSEPH A. GAVIN. 

